ELMAU, Germany — The G7 agreed Monday afternoon to limit the increase in global temperatures to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a victory for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who wanted the group of wealthy countries to present a united front ahead of a climate summit in Paris this December.

“Urgent and concrete action is needed to address climate change,” said a statement issued by the group, ending a summit held in the Bavarian Alps. The plan calls for meeting a United Nations recommendation for reducing emissions in 2050 from 40 to 70 percent below 2010 levels. That may be enough to prevent global temperatures from rising to dangerous levels.

Merkel’s hope is that the example set by the G7 — making up most of the world’s leading industrial economies — will send a message to other polluters.

“Even if G7 countries had zero emissions tomorrow we still couldn’t solve the climate problem. Other countries need to play a role,” she said, pointing out that China’s recent progress in switching to renewable energy sources like wind, solar and hydro electric show a commitment to tackling global warming. “I do believe that Germany has possibilities to help.”

The G7 also reiterated an earlier commitment from developed countries to raise and spend $100 billion a year from private and public sources on climate mitigation by 2020.

“We emphasize that deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are required with a decarbonization of the global economy over the course of this century,” said the statement.

Merkel, who has become so wedded to the global warming agenda that she has been dubbed the “climate chancellor,” had staked her prestige on getting her fellow G7 leaders to follow Germany’s lead. She backed her call by strengthening her country’s transition to renewable energy sources like solar and wind. The German government has to phase out nuclear power by 2022; as of last year almost a third of its power was generated by renewables, outpacing coal.

“Climate change has become more and more of a priority for the chancellor — much of her public commentary in recent days has been about the issue,” said Jennifer Morgan, global director of the climate change program at the World Resources Institute.

After the summit, Merkel said that one of the ways of getting to the new low emission target will be to use market friendly policies like carbon emissions trading. The EU’s own emission tradition scheme has been in place for a decade, but has been a bit of a flop, as carbon prices set by the scheme have been too low to drive industries to decarbonize. Brussels recently revamped the program in an effort to mop up excess emissions allowances and send prices higher.

“In Europe what we have in mind for the world is emissions trading,” Merkel said. “Germany will have to make an effort here because in Europe we have a lot of coal-fired exports. And that’s where the emissions are. We hope to come to a uniform European energy market.”

Environmental groups reacted positively to the commitment.

“This was a really helpful G7,” said Liz Gallagher, leader of the climate diplomacy program at the energy and environmental group E3G. “It is very much talking about the fact that they’re going to decarbonize the global economy, and that’s quite useful to investors and businesses.”

Merkel applied diplomatic pressure to ensure that all the G7 countries fell into line. Working together with French President François Hollande and U.S. President Barack Obama, she managed to overcome Canadian and Japanese doubts.

Japan initially resisted Merkel’s push for bankrolling climate action, because it uses its climate finance to support exports of coal technology to developing countries, according to Gallagher. Japan has become much more reliant on coal, which has filled the country’s energy gap after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Canada, which has huge investments in controversial and highly polluting tar sands development in Alberta, started the summit as a potential hold-out, but government and NGO sources told POLITICO that its position softened under pressure from Obama.

“My understanding is that Japan was indeed opposing many of the things that had been proposed in original draft of communiqué and Canada was number two in terms of opposition, both were opposed to the idea that the era of fossil fuels has to end this century,” said Lutz Weischer, the team leader for international climate policy at the NGO Germanwatch.

Jack Wolf

RoyD

There is a better than average chance global warming is as much natural as influenced by man. We know from studying the earth that there have been periods of cooling and warming caused by natural occurrences. The G7 group is setting itself up for failure because there is little that can be done. Ask the people who lived in the Sahara when it was a jungle before it became a desert. Ask the people who lived in the SW United States before it became arid. Climate change happens. It’s not all caused by fossil fuels.

Posted on 6/8/15 | 4:48 PM CEST

Daniel Grubb

Reducing emissions in 2050 from 40 to 70 percent below 2010 levels will not keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees Celcius. This pledge is Greenwash.

Posted on 6/8/15 | 4:52 PM CEST

Arthur

Is this Politico’s new way of posting comments?

Posted on 6/8/15 | 5:03 PM CEST

Mr. Miami Cool

It is about time the EU got something done. Now only if we could get these rascals in our congress to act!

Posted on 6/8/15 | 5:12 PM CEST

Mainstream Media Propaganda

The Definition of a Centrist:

“I will pull the Alarmists in both parties to the Center.”

“I will Pander to the Warmonger that believes in Global Warming.”

“I will define the absolute Center of the political spectrum in 2016”

– Lindsey Graham

Posted on 6/8/15 | 5:12 PM CEST

Jackie F

“We will control climate, even though we don’t know how. We will do this without any changes from China, Africa, or India.” They are delusional.

Posted on 6/8/15 | 5:25 PM CEST

Leif Knutsen

Capitalism, unrestrained by the requirements of Planetary life support systems, is guaranteed mutually assured destruction. Socially enabled capitalism is clearly a failed paradigm. Help end tax funded pollution of the commons for starters.

Posted on 6/8/15 | 5:40 PM CEST

Brian Bradshaw

The G7 are not the issue. Most of the increase in CO2 is coming from the emerging economies like China and India. The G7 have already made some progress.

I’m glad Texas got all the rain the wettest year on record. Maybe the right wingers down their will wake up to climate change.

Posted on 6/8/15 | 7:36 PM CEST

Jim

Liberals believe anything the scientists say.

Posted on 6/8/15 | 7:58 PM CEST

Chris Delk

Someone better tell the Sun to stop going through it’s cylces, the same as it’s done forever.

Posted on 6/8/15 | 11:47 PM CEST

Einstein

@Chris Delk

The sun is in a cooling cycle. We would be even hotter otherwise.

Posted on 6/9/15 | 1:14 AM CEST

Scott Walker (R)

The editor should note that the dates on the comments are all wrong. The dates are for August and September. It’s June. Thank you for your attention to this matter – Scott

Posted on 6/9/15 | 1:17 AM CEST

Frank

18 years and no global warming despite CO2 increases. These politicians are lying to us all. BTW if you don’t think there has been no warming in 18 years then prove me wrong by showing me your source. Global warming is a hoax.

Very sadly we are watching an unnecessary political juggernaut aimed at ruining the Western World on the altar of a non-problem.

Posted on 6/9/15 | 7:37 AM CEST

Ken konetski

“won a significant victory”? The communique has just a lot of “should”, and that they have a “vision”, and that they “commit” to nothing specific. There seems to be more hot air at, and about, these meetings than in the climate. Could this non-agreement be an indication that they don’t believe their own rhetoric?

Posted on 6/9/15 | 9:14 AM CEST

Christopher

You think the human race can put a stop to the burning and releasing of carbon into the atmosphere by the year 2100? 70% below 2010 levels by the year 2050? The earth is warming up really fast I swear it keeps getting hotter and hotter every year. Humans are busting down the old growth forest and digging up this carbon. This planet seems like its just gonna go up like a box of matches. Its going to take more then stopping the release of carbon. We need plants to absorb it also. Plant more trees in cities and residential areas and along the highways, make sure logging companies are replanting sooner, becoming more efficient, recycling and reducing waste more and more each year around the world. I’ve noticed more forest area being cleared for farmland what can be done to eliminate this problem of feeding an ever growing population?

Posted on 6/10/15 | 2:58 AM CEST

Martin Sandberg

An absolutely classic example of why MOTUs should never be allowed anywhere near political power!

Atlas Shrugged was supposed to be a warning, Not A Newspaper!

Posted on 6/10/15 | 2:53 PM CEST

Mike T

I believe energy from the atmosphere can be transferred into the magnetic field surrounding the earth. When I studied thermodynamics in college, the phenomenon was known as Hemholtz free energy. If this can happen, it would explain why we’ve had so many earth quakes and volcanic action (the magnetic field around the earth is caused by the molten core. The core of Mars has solidified which is why it has no magnetic field surrounding it.) As the energy transfers from one system to another, the energy forms might enter a resonance (similar to a spring mass system). That would explain some of the weather swings we’ve been experiencing. Eliminating all of the greenhouse gasses might be more disastrous then the affects of globing warming. If that magnetic field goes away (from the Earth’s core solidifying), cosmic radiation may very well wipe out life on this planet. I think we need to manage the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Development of fusion power source would be a significant step in accomplishing this management. I have some theories on it’s development but haven’t gotten anyone to listen. I’ve sent those theories to EPRI but haven’t heard any positive replies. I don’t think it’s as tough as every one thinks. Let me know if anyone’s interested in listening. Thanks

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the United States will continue the process of withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, unless ‘we can re-enter on terms that are more favorable to our country.’